Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden, M.S. '07, M.B.A. '22
Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden has spent more than two decades working at the intersections of government, education, business, and the non-profit sectors. Currently, she provides visionary and executive leadership within the Westchester County Youth Bureau, a division of the Westchester County Executive’s Office. Immediately upon taking a key position within the County Executive’s cabinet in 2018, she rebuilt a floundering youth department, increased the number of grassroots organizations funded in communities of high need, and reorganized the way in which non-profit organizations competed for funding. Dr. Madden utilizes her business acumen and experience to manage a multi- million-dollar annual budget and deploys financial and technical resources to hundreds of community based programs and agencies.
Prior to joining the Latimer administration, she served as a Department Head throughout four administrations in the city of Mount Vernon. Dr. Madden began her career in the private sector as a Human Resources Manager for Gap Inc. She later transitioned into the non-profit sector as an Assistant Director at the Urban League of Westchester, where she worked to address the disproportionality relative to children and youth of color within the juvenile justice and child welfare systems.
Known for her expertise in grant writing, Dr. Madden has secured more than 40M dollars in federal, state and private funds during her career. She has served as a Federal grant reviewer, Program Evaluator, and Trainer. Through her private practice, she assists doctoral students with research and writing, and offers solutions to organizations that aim to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her private and public background in the workforce development space has lent to the development of training curriculums and the successful procurement of workforce development grants which enable at-risk youth and adults opportunities to develop employability and self-sufficiency skills. Recently, she partnered with Mercy University and its’ STEP Program to sponsor the first Youth Med-Tech Conference where 300+ youth, healthcare professionals, scientists, and STEM leaders were in attendance. This was covered on local news and other media outlets.
Dr. Madden holds a BA in English and African American Studies, a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a Master of Science in Human Resource Management (MS HRM), and a Doctorate in Education and Executive Leadership (Ed.D). She serves on a 15+ of professional boards to include the Westchester-Putnam County Workforce Development Board, New York State Youth Justice Institute- Policy Equity Academy, New York State Partnership for Youth Justice Team (PYJ), the Gender Responsive Interventions and Partnerships Court of the Ninth Judicial District (co-chair), and the New York State Education Department’s Girls of Color Workgroup.
She has been honored during the past 20 years by many organizations, including 914inc.’s 2022 Women in Business, the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, Student Advocacy, the Westchester County Board of Legislators, Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce. She has earned Dr. DaMia Harris Madden Day in the City of White Plains (2022) and Westchester County (2017). As the current President of the Hudson Valley Association of Youth Bureaus, she assists Youth Bureaus from Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester Counties, creating a larger presence for and understanding of Youth Bureaus. Under her leadership, she has become a leading resource behind the creation of three new Youth Bureaus, which has made Westchester County the first county to develop new Youth Bureaus in the last 25 years.
Dr. Madden belongs to several professional, civic, and family oriented organizations to include Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America- Mid Hudson Valley Chapter. She volunteers on the Island of Puerto Rico and is a proud wife and mother of three daughters.